Photo Gallery

Devastating Flood At Holy Ghost Church, Manville, New Jersey

Over the weekend of April 14-15,2007 a massive Nor'easter storm ravaged the East Coast of the U.S. with more than 8 inches of rain. Within the diocese serious damage was limited to two parishes in the New Jersey Deanery. At St. John's Parish in Rahway, NJ,while there was no damage to the Church, contents of the parish rectory basement were lost due to flooding of more than four feet of water. At Holy Ghost Church in Manville, NJ, there was no flood damage to the rectory or to the church proper. However, the entire church basement was flooded with some seven feet of water. Basement damage includes kitchen, rest rooms, heating and air conditioning systems, computer, tables, chairs and other miscellaneous hall contents. This is the second time in six years that the parish has sustained significant flood damage. The photos below show the flood waters and the resulting damage to the Church Hall.

The Bathrooms

Fr. Matthew Moriak, the pastor of Holy Ghost Parish, looks in disbelief at the level of the flood water from the side entrance to the Church.

A view of the stairway and items deposited there by the flood waters.

Rear view of flood waters taken on Monday, April 16 at 6:00 pm after the flood waters began to recede.

The flood waters nearly reached the top of the interior stairway leading to the Church Nave.

The red line on the stairway marks the level of the flood waters. Picture was taken taken on Wednesday April 18, 2007.